Hermione's Wish
by morough
Summary: a fic about Hermione, and unexpected feelings for a unexpected person...I don't think I've seen this pairing before, R&R.


laladeeda... I kow it's pathetic starting a new fic in the middle of another one, but I AM a pathetic person...>giggles ya, I'm on a sugar and buttered-popcorn high (that was my lunch) for forgive me for sounding a bit HAPPY...and Bryant just started quizzing me on my other personality (actually, Ivan's not really my dual, but he's quite close to me :-) after all, I created him :-) you'll get all this when the book's published :-) anyhoo, the story...>giggles madly

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Hermione sighed and lay down her magazine. She was too exited. Harry was coming over for dinner. 

Well, he wasn't the only one, the Weasleys and Neville were coming over also, but Harry was the only one Hermione was concerned about. It was his birthday, and she had been planning this for weeks…he really needed a break from what was going on with his Auror duties and the such. She wanted to make this special for him, and besides; she had finally learned how to cook. It had just happened – one day she couldn't the next she could. Actually kind of funny.

Hermione suddenly leaped up and glanced at her watch. Almost five o'clock – she had to start getting ready! She ran over to the stove and set the sauce cooking, and then jogged to her bedroom to get dressed.

She always dressed nicely to go to work, of course – she was a type of Auror, but she tracked where the wizards went instead of actually confronting and looking for them – but this had to be special, this was Harry. She thought about Harry as she got dressed, giggleing at the fact that she was obnoxiously enthralled with him; she had thought he was cute even since that first day on the train. When they got older, it stopped being a crush and turned into love. She never told him – what if he didn't like her back? – but she liked him all the same.

She turned around, studying her reflection in her mirror. She was wearing a set of wide dance-pants, in cream, with a matching keyholed shirt, with red, orange, and a little hint of green embroidery along the edge that she had designed herself. She hadn't sewn it – she doubted anything would happen with her needlework like what had happened with her cooking – but one of the blessings of Aurors (even her type of Auror) was that the money was good. Checking her chestnut hair (the frizzles had finally disappeared years ago – thank goodness) for any stray hairs, and touching up her jewelry, she slid into a lightweight orange robe that's beaded rim just brushed her ankles in their high-heeled hemp sandals. Sh_ould I paint my toes? _she thought vaguely, twirling around so that her robe flew out around her and her earrings swung, _no…too garish_.

Finally satisfied with her appearance, Hermione went back to the kitchen and set the other foods cooking. The others would be bringing food also, it was kind of potluck affair, but Hermione was having fun cooking.

She turned around at two large cracks from the living room, and saw Fred and George come around the corner, each holding two dishes full to the brim with food_. And they're wearing those…those green jackets again_, Hermione thought as she saw their dragonhide jackets_. At least they're wearing brown pants, not like the last time…yellow…_Hermione beamed as she took the dishes from them and magicked them over to a counter. "Are you the runners-ahead?" she asked as they began setting out decorations. "Yep. The others should be here in about five minutes or so."

As good as their word, the rest of the partyers arrived rapidly, almost knocking the logs out of Hermione's fireplace as they arrived by Floo Powder.

"Hello, dear," Mrs. Weasley breathed, handing Hermione a hefty dish of pudding, "Ginevra won't be coming, she had an appointment she couldn't miss…she said she might be able to make it…" "Oh that's alright, Mrs. Wealsey" (Hermione was still uncomfortable with calling her 'Molly' as the woman had insisted upon her graduation from Hogwarts) "I'll just set aside some of the cake for her." Hermione checked her watch and yelped aloud, everyone falling silent at her cry. "It's almost time! Hide!"

At Hermione's word, they all hid in various places, though some (like the twins) took the easy way out and simply preformed the Chameleon Charm to hide. Hermione held her breath as the fireplace's flames turned an emerald green and leaped with a loud whooshing noise. She could see Harry's tall, thin form slowly revolving in the flames, though he looked curiously lopsided…

Harry stepped out of the fireplace with a woman in his arms.

"SURPRISE!" everyone jumped out of their hiding places and pounced on Harry, laughing at his shocked face to see everyone there. The sound faded a little as Mrs. Weasley stepped forward, a frown on her face but a twinkle in her eye.

"Ginevra, I thought you said you weren't coming?"

Ginny laughed and brushed a loose strand of red hair off her forehead that had become dislodged in the Floo travel. "Well, mother, you know how you've been asking me whether I've had a secret date?"

The twinkle in Mrs. Weasley's eye grew. "Do I get to meet him?" "Here he is!" Ginny cried, hugging a laughing Harry around the waist. Harry grinned at Mrs. Weasley and hugged Ginny back. "Meet my fiancée – mom."

Mrs. Weasley screamed, and the entire place erupted. Hermione collapsed on the couch, her heart seeming to stop. _Harry…? 'my fiancée?' Ginny? _Hermione knew that Ginny had always liked Harry from the start but she had never guessed…that it might go this far. _Pull yourself together, Hermione. You have a party to attend to_. Hermione got up off the couch and pasted her best smile on her face, the one she usually reserved for her nosy superiors when they came to see how much work she had done that week.

Hermione was busy the rest of the night agreeing with everyone about what a lovely birthday Harry had had. Hermione just wished she could stop thinking that perhaps his favorite present was Ginny's love.

Hermione shook herself awake as the quill fell from between her fingers yet again, creating another blot upon her report. She sighed and continued writing her about how she thought the dark wizard Anthony Berekins was hiding somewhere in France…she had cried herself to sleep that night. Harry, the Harry she had wanted, was gone. He belonged to Ginny, now, and he was still clueless that in the process he had broken another woman's heart. Hermione couldn't wait for the work day to end – as soon as that bell rang, she was out of there, off for a quiet cup of tea in her quiet apartment.

Hermione felt she could have passed the party better if everyone wasn't discussing Harry and Ginny's wedding, and what to name their children, and where they should buy a house, etc. etc. Hermione was trying to convince herself that Harry was very, very happy with Ginny, and that he had never ever expressed any feelings toward her, so she shouldn't be so disappointed…

The end-of-day bell rang, jolting the pen back out of Hermione's grip. Cursing the pen and the ink dripping from the tip – Hermione was almost surprised at herself for her temper – she threw on her raincoat and walked outside the Ministry of Magic building, disguised to look like a broken-down factory on the outskirts of London. She got into her car (Hermione liked cars. She supposed it came with being a Muggle-born) and drove off to her apartment complex, which was almost entirely inhabited by witches and wizards who needed to live close to the Ministry. The few Muggles that did live there simply thought their neighbors were…peculiar. Memory Charms were very useful sometimes.

Hermione walked into her apartment and closed the door, dropping her briefcase on her sofa, hurrying over to the kitchen to boil that pot of tea. She halted in the doorway when she saw a redheaded man sitting at her table, two steaming mugs of tea in front of him. "Here, I already made you one," George said, pushing a red star-spangled mug towards her. "George?" Hermione asked blankly, automatically walking over to the table and taking a seat. "Yes, that's me," he smiled, taking a sip of his own tea. "Why are you here?" Hermione asked. Rather blunt but then again, it was rather a shock to Hermione to have one of the Weasley twins suddenly sitting in your kitchen without her spontaneously turning into a canary or sprouting carrots out of her ears. "I thought you might want company," he explained, "Harry came over after he got off his work, said you seemed a bit agitated today." Hermione set her mug down on the table with a bit more force than was really necessary. Great. The very last thing she needed to hear about again today was Harry…his name created a dead feeling inside of her that she couldn't quite shake off. "It's nice of you to stop by," she said politely, "but I'm not really that lonely. In fact, I have a lot of work left over from the Ministry that I need to get to. Thanks for the tea." "You're welcome," George said, raising an eyebrow at her quick dismissal. "See you later." He Disapparated.

Hermione finished the rest of her tea and tapped the kettle to boil some more. She felt a bit regretful about treating George like that, but she really didn't need to talk about Harry. Matter of fact, she didn't even want to think about Harry.

Crookshanks, Hermione's bowlegged cat, meandered over and jumped into her lap, a small cloud of ginger hairs floating behind him. Hermione groaned inwardly as they floated to the floor. Time to go to Diagon Alley again, get some of that anti-shedding potion…Crookshanks was so furry (and plus the fact he was part Kneazle), he needed it almost twice a month. She'd go tomorrow, when she was in a better mood. Maybe she'd stop by Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes & Jordan's Joke Joint to apologize to George for her shortness with him.

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>giggles madly now Bryant's beating up Logan because Logan was beating up him...>giggles madly lalalalalalalalalalalala 


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